Magnifying device



Feb. 13, 1951 E. M. HARRISON 2,541,760

MAGNIFYING DEVICE 1 Filed April 50. 1948 IN V EN TOR,

Patented Feb. 13, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MAGNIFYING DEVICE Ellis MIHarrison, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application April 30, 1948, Serial No. 24,159

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a magnifying device adapted to be, worn upon the person of the user and which is especially adapted for use by sportsmen such as fishermen to provide a readily available magnifying device which cannot be accidentally dropped and which will besituated in a position on the bod of the wearer, so that it can be readily utilized for changing a fly, attaching a leader, baiting a hook, untangling a line and various other purposes for which the user would otherwise have to resort to reading glasses or bifocals, thereby eliminating the inconvenience and danger of putting on and taking 01f reading or bifocal eyeglasses for accomplishing these operations.

It frequently occurs that where a sportsman, such as a fisherman is required to use reading or bifocal glasses for close work, that in putting on the eyeglasses for accomplishing any of the above operations, due to wet hands and the necessity of holding fishing gear, the eyeglasses are inadvertently dropp d into a stream and lost. On the other hand, if the sportsman attempts to wear reading or bifocal glasses while fishing his distant vision is distorted so that he is likely to stumble and fall especially in attempting to step over rocks or to step from rock-to-rock in a creek or stream or in walking over uneven ground or over stumps or logs.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a device of extremely simple construction which can be conveniently worn by a fisherman or other sportsman for eliminating all of the aforedescribed hazards and which will be readily available for use for any close work required and at a convenient location thereto or which can be readily folded against the body when not in use.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the device in an applied and operative position attached to a garment of the user;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the device in an open position;

Figure 3 is a plan view showing the device in an extended position, and

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken prising the invention, is designated generallyv 5 and includes an elongated supporting member 6 which may be formed of a strip of metal or any other suitable material and which is provided with a laterally enlarged outer end i to the back side of which and transversely of the strip 6 is mounted a grament fastener, designated generally 8 and which comprises a pin 9 and a hook Iii. The pin 9 has one end thereof suitably fixed to the strip portion 1 and is resiliently disposed with respect thereto and has an opposite free end which is pointed for penetrating a garment such as a coat or shirt. The pointed free end of the pin 9 is adapted to detachably engage the hook In to prevent accidental disengagement thereof from the garment and for detachably retaining the device 5 in an applied position. The opposite, inner, or lower end of the body member 5 is likewise laterally enlarged to form a portion H which is dished so as to be convex on the inner side of said strip, as seen in Figure 2 for fitting the contour of the body. The body member 6 is provided with an integral extension which pro,- jects from the outer edge of the enlargement H and which is turned back upon itself to form a barrel portion l2, as best seen in Figures 3 and 4.

A magnifying lens i3 is supported in a rim M by an inner rim i5 which is suitably secured to the inner side of the rim E4 and which is provided with an inwardly opening groove to receive the tapered marginal edge of the lens I3. The rim I4 constitutes the intermediate portion of an elongated strip, preferably formed of metal having abutting legs i6 projecting from a portion of the rim l4 and which are provided with outwardly offset apertured terminal portions I! which straddle the ends of the barrel l2 and the apertures of which align with the bore of said barrel for receiving the shank of a bolt is which extends through the leg portions l1 and through the barrel [2. The bolt [8 is provided with a head which bears against the outer side of one of the leg portions ll and its shank end is threaded to receive a nut I9 which bears against the outer side of said other leg portion 9?. The nut I9 is tightened sufliciently so that the lens support I4, I 6 will maintain any position to which it is swung relatively to the supporting member 6 and is normally disposed at substantially a right angle thereto, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 when in an operative position for use or which is folded against the outer side of the support 6, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2, when not in use.

Accordingly, it will be readily apparent that the magnifying device can be readily attached to a garment, such as the shirt of the wearer, as illustrated in Figure 1 by the clasp 8 and when it is desired to utilize the device 5 for afiording the wearer a good view for untangling line, baiting a hook, changing a fly or for any other purpose, the lens support 14, I6 is swung outwardly to its position of Figures 1 and 2 and in which po-sition the lens I3 will be directly over the position that the hands would normally assume for accomplishing such an operation and so that the user may readily view the parts engaged by the hands through the lens l3, thus eliminating the need for usin reading or bifocal glasses for such a purpose. When the operation has been accomplished the frame M can be engaged by the hand and swung upwardly against the support 6 so that the device 5 will be disposed in an inoperative position out of the way of the user until its use is again required.

As previously stated, the fastening I8, l9 can be tightened to afford sufficient friction so that the. lens support l4, It will maintain any position to which it is moved or if desired the leg portions I 7 can be extended to engage behind the enlarged portion H to prevent the lens support from being swung downwardly and outwardly to beyond a position as illustrated in Figure 2.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the in vention as hereinafter defined by the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

A magnifying device adapted to be attached to the Wearing apparel of the user and supported thereby while in use or while in an inoperative position, comprising an elongated supporting member having an upper end and a lower end, a garment clasp secured to the upper end of the supporting member and transversely thereof for demountably attaching th supporting member to a garment of the user, a magnifying lens, a lens supporting frame in one end of which the lens is secured, means pivotally connecting the opposite end of the lens supporting frame to the lower end of said supporting member for swinging movement of the lens supporting frame relatively to the supporting member from a folded position against an outer side of the supporting member, when not in use, downwardl and outwardly to an extended operative position at selective angles relatively to the supporting member, said means frictionally retaining the lens supporting frame in either a folded inoperative position or in various extended operative positions, the lower end of the supporting member being laterally enlarged and being dished inwardly so as to be convex on the inner side of the supporting member to substantially conform to the contour of the body and to bear against the body to provide a stabilizing means to minimize lateral swinging movement of the lens supporting frame when in extended, operative positions.

ELLIS M. HARRISON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 189,511 Spencer Apr. 10, 1877 270,296 Foster Jan. 9, 1883 1,130,689 Atkinson Mar. 2, 1915 1,579,557 Marquis Apr. 6, 1926 1,992,523 Dupret Feb. 26, 1935 2,122,753 Ridabock July 5, 1938 2,352,819 Winslow July 4, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 129,216 Germany Apr. 27, 1901 

